Bible Reading:
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13 ESV).
What a way to start a devotional. Aren’t devotionals supposed to be uplifting and encouraging?
Yes.
Aren’t they also supposed to be challenging?
Yes.
What does this verse mean?
Jesus tells us in the Gospels to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23), but what does that actually mean? Most of us don’t have a physical cross we’re called to bear.
Jesus’s cross was by no means easy for Him to carry, even though He is the Son of God.
He had to humble Himself, even to the point of death. Death by a cross was not only humiliating but the most excruciating death imaginable in those days. Matthew 26:39 (ESV) says: “And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’”
Yes, Jesus wanted to save humanity and was willing to endure death on a cross if it was the only way. But Gethsemane shows us that as a man, if there had been any other way to accomplish the mission without the agony of the cross, He would have taken it. He chose the nails because there was no other way to save us.
Matthew writes that His “soul was very sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38b). Luke 22:43, 44 (ESV) includes that as He prayed, “And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Have you ever known anyone who has been so stressed or in such great agony that they sweat blood?
We can’t even begin to imagine how much Jesus loves us to not only die for us, but to endure the most unimaginable death possible.
If He bore the cross for us, can we not bear ours if He asks us?
But that doesn’t mean we are called to carry a literal cross.
So, what does it mean to “carry our cross” each day and to “put to death the deeds of the body”?
It starts with honesty, with ourselves and with God. Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, it’s okay to admit we wish there was another way. Like David in many of the Psalms (Psalm 13 is a great example of this), it’s okay to tell God we’re struggling with anger towards Him.
Second, we need to be willing to surrender. As Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39b). Job is another example. He had to surrender everything he didn’t understand, his desire for answers, and recognize that God was in complete control (Job 42:2-3). What about Paul? He begged God to remove the thorn from his flesh, but God responded: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Just as the angel came to strengthen Jesus, we must rely on God’s strength to help us. We cannot rely on our own strength to carry us through.
We may want to be angry, and maybe we even think we have a good reason for it. Our flesh will tell us we have a right to hold grudges, that we deserve what we want, and that we need to be the ones in control. Sound familiar?
News flash.
We were never meant to write the stories of our lives. We may think we want to hold the pen, but that is no way to live.
Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Abundant life comes through death and surrender. He tells us in Matthew 16:25 (ESV): “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus wasn’t just talking about physical death here. As believers, we need to die daily to our wants, desires, and even the things that may be good. Anything we desire more than God needs to be put in its proper place in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Sometimes, dying to ourselves might mean sacrificing the very thing we hold dear, what we clench in our fists and refuse to yield. You know what I’m talking about?
There have been seasons in my life where the Lord allows something I’d considered good to be removed from my life. Sometimes it’s shocking, and it hurts. Okay, let me rephrase that. Usually, it always hurts.
We were never meant to hold the pen or be the director of our story. Only God can do that.
In Psalm 81:10 (ESV), God tells the Israelites: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
If we want to experience the abundant life Jesus has for us, then we need to “open our mouths.” If we cling to the past and what we think we want, then we don’t have hearts open to what the Lord has planned.
Don’t mistake the word “abundant” for “easy” or a life filled with material goods. The abundance Jesus promises isn’t found in our circumstances. If it were, Paul wouldn’t be able to write about overflowing joy while sitting in prison. While sometimes God does bless us circumstantially, the abundant life He promises us is found in His presence as we draw near to Him.
When God gently pries our fingers open, it’s not to leave us empty-handed. It’s to make room for His peace, which is our portion, and His presence, which fills us to overflowing.
We need to die to ourselves each and every day.
Romans 8:13 tells us that if we put these things to death, we will live. Not merely survive, but truly live.
Today, if you’re clenching your fists around something that God is asking you to yield, be honest. Tell Him you don’t want to let go. Tell Him it hurts. And then, by His strength, let it go. Whatever He asks you to surrender will pale in comparison to the abundant life He desires to give you.
Pray with me: Dear Father, I’ll be honest. I’m tired of trying to hold the pen. I admit that I’ve been clenching my fists around my plans, my timing, and my “good” things, afraid to let go. Thank You for the unimaginable way You love me and for Your death on the cross so I may live. Please give me the strength I don’t have on my own to put my self-will to death today. I open my hands and my heart to You. Fill the empty spaces with Your peace and help me to trust Your presence is my greatest good. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.
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Hannah L. Benson is a writer, actress, and content marketer with a passion for telling stories that glorify God and bring hope to your heart. As a writer, her work can be found in publications including the Rebelution, Her View From Home, Her Faith Arises, Inside Out Worldwide, and Crosswalk. Her heartfelt writings have impacted countless women around the country. As one reader put it: “Hannah has a gift of sharing the depths of her heart in a relatable way with a deep understanding of the human heart.” Connect with her on Facebook (Hannah L. Benson) and Instagram @hannah.l.benson or visit her website at www.hannahlbenson.com.
You Are Not the Only One 